It has been stated that the most deceiving part of the game of golf is putting. It is probably the simplest part of the game and yet the most difficult to master. This is because in putting there is virtually no margin for error. For this reason, there has been a great deal of time spent trying to develop more functional and more comfortable hand grips for golf clubs and putters. There have also been hundreds of ideas expressed about the correct way to stand, the correct way to hold the putter and the correct way to stroke a putt. One fundamental which is almost universally agreed upon is that there should be no wrist motion whatsoever in a putt. Related to this are at least two other, often taught fundamentals. First, the ball should be struck with a square club face and second, the putter head should be kept low to the ground, moving in a straight line. So-called wrist putting, where the club swings in more of an arc, more often than not causes the putter head to open and close severely making it difficult to cause the club face to contact the ball squarely. Where so much precision is required in putting, a slight twisting of the club face in any direction will almost always cause a miss, even in the close shots. The cures most often advanced by the pros to help "wrist breakers" are two: (1) concentrate harder not to break your wrists; and (2) try a different grip such as the reverse overlap, the finger down shaft, the cross-handed, or the hands separated.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,573, issued to Key, Jr., on Jan. 10, 1978, there is disclosed a putter hand grip shaped and constructed to promote control and accuracy during the putting stroke and to provide a more comfortable and efficient grip on the putter. The Key grip is tapered at both the forward and rearward ends. The overall dimensions of the Key grip are stated not to be critical, and the tapered shape of the grip is recited to be uniform from club to club.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,077, issued to Spivey on Jun. 9, 1981, there is disclosed a golf putter grip having a circumference of approximately 15 cm and designed to minimize putter "jerks or yipes" by preventing the non-dominant hand from overriding the dominant hand. This putter is designed for consecutive hand placement along the length of the grip.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,215,860, issued to Nakamatsu on Aug. 5, 1980, there is disclosed a golf club gripping means adapted to be grasped by the right and left hands of a golfer being disposed side-by-side to each other on the golf club grip. The cross-section of the grip is disclosed to be square and it is intended that this grip allow an unskilled golfer to play golf without taking unnatural attitudes or without injuring himself.
Other golf club grips are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,270, issued to Uffindell on July 6, 1982 and No. 3,606,326, issued to Sparks et al. on Sept. 20, 1971.
None of the above references discloses a hand grip for a golf club putter which aids in keeping the wrists of the golfer from breaking during the putting swing, although several of the disclosed grips are intended to make the grip more comfortable or to transfer a higher percentage of the energy.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a grip for a golf club putter which helps the golfer keep his wrists from breaking during the putting stroke.
Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the description of the preferred embodiment which follows.